Roasted Vegetables. Those two words make my foodie heart swoon.
When eating out, if I see roasted vegetables on a menu, I will almost always order that thing– whatever it is. Roasting brings out all the flavors with very little effort or extra ingredients. I’m fairly certain that we’d all enjoy a lot more vegetables if they were roasted.
They feel fancy enough for a dinner party, though they’re simple enough for a regular Thursday night. If ever I am running out of side dish options for the table, I will usually just grab whatever vegetables are in the fridge and give them a good roast.
Here’s my basic recipe and a few tips that make ALL the difference when roasting.
Vegetable Roasting Tips:
- Uniformity. The closer in size your pieces are to each other, the more evenly they will brown (re: not burn before the rest are done.) Don’t stress about this, just keep it in mind. You can see in the photo above that this isn’t an exact science.
- Higher Heat. Vegetables cannot truly roast until about 400′ or even 425′ — anything lower and they take too long and may get mushy.
- Parchment Paper. This one is obviously optional, but you will use way less oil if you grab some parchment and let it handle the non- stick factor for you. These pre-cut sheets are a convenience item I love.
- Vegetables need space to cook well. They’re introverts, basically. But really, they need a little bit of space between themselves to allow the air to circulate, otherwise they steam instead of roast. This is why you cannot roast in multiple layers. As Julia Child said, “Don’t crowd the mushrooms!” *I usually end up using two pans if we are roasting a lot, but with the parchment the cleanup is easy.
- Don’t Over-Season. The best part about roasted veggies is the natural flavors that come out as they roast; I’m looking at you– carrots. I always add a pinch of seasoning to start with, and then taste them again at the end.
Roasted Carrots
Author: Cynthia Stuckey
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
This method works for broccoli, corn, peppers, onions, mushrooms, brussels, sweet potatoes-- even fresh green beans! Just alter your cook time a little if the vegetables are smaller, like corn.
Ingredients
- 1lb. Fresh, peeled carrots, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut on the bias in 2-3 inch pieces.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- (optional, fresh thyme, chopped.)
Method
- Preheat oven to 425' F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add a drizzle of olive oil.
- Toss the carrots on the baking sheet, add another drizzle of olive oil and toss them with your hands.
- Add a pinch of kosher salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper and thyme if using.
- Roast for 10 minutes, then toss with a spoon and roast for 7-10 more minutes.
- Add a few more minutes at the end until they are beginning to brown in places and are as tender as you like, we prefer no longer crunchy but not too soft.
- Taste for additional Salt & Pepper.
Great tips! Thanks, Cynthia.